Hi Viciky
I set off travelling in April last year, when I was 29, I'm sad to hear that there is some negativity coming from friends/family as I almost always got great vibes from people about it. Went all around the world, met like minded people, all sorts, all ages from the cocky 18 year old school leavers, to the insanely active 84 year Japanese gentleman I met in Laos.
Fair enough it can be a little overwhelming at first, ie that first night in a hostel, but use the fact you're that bit older to your advantage, you're nearly 30, so you don't have to care what people think, you don't have to impress anybody, you just have to be what you want to be,
I'm now 30 and still on the road, in Australia living and working, due to return to UK at the end of June, feeling that i've had experiences that I could never of had just by staying at home so intend to use that to my advantage when I get back. Please don't let yourself end up regretting what you did not do.
and another thing, how many people do you meet that have been travelling, at ANY age, that regret doing it?
I've not met one yet
so NO, you are no WAY to old, you're never to old
GO FOR IT!
Reply to this 29 is way too old. Your friends and family are right. Stay home and be responsible.
Reply to this Gabu i disagree....age is only a number............people should travel when and how they want to and not let a number or anything else get in the way
Reply to this Gabu its too early mate...lol..........i was out till 3am and still a little worse for wear..........give me a few hours and i might realize its sarcasm and i shouldn't be such a dipstick😊
Reply to this gabu had me worried too, those people do exist, but thankfully not on this forum.
Just think of that wonderfull phrase 'nothing was ever acheived by staying at home'
Reply to this Robin the is the old saying that it wont come to you if you just sit there, if you want the world you have to go out there and grab it with both hands😊
Reply to this Hi Vicky,
It is never too old to travel unless you do not want to travel or are not healthy enough to do that. I am not as old as you are but I always tell myself that I will continue traveling until I can not do that (for instance I am broke ect... -😊. Many new and interesting things are lying ahead and waiting for you to discover.
Good luck!!!
Nguyen Phuc Thinh
Reply to this Don't be silly, plus in Australia there is absolutely nothing to fear. It is the most stupidly safe place to be (as long as you avoid the spiders, snakes, sharks, jellyfish, etc). I am Australian and know that in a year there you will see wonderful things, meet great people and possibly come back with a drinking problem. I come from Adelaide which a boring but pretty city, but the nature that surrounds it is amazing, lots of wine regions, beaches, hills and mountain ranges to the north.
Enjoy
Reply to this I sure as f*** hope not! I'm rounding 48 this summer, and the last two were spent tromping around Europe, Morocco and West Africa solo and nowhere near a tour or tour bus.
Mark Twain said it best: "Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’'t do, than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade wind in your sails. Explore, dream, discover."
The likelihood is that everything will be fine, but even if (what some think of as) the very worst were to happen and you died while abroad, wouldn't you still rather have died while living your life to its very fullest, doing what you really want to do, than to pass on at 80, sitting at home thinking back on with longing and envy, wishing and wondering about all these places in your dreams?
GO ALREADY! Whatever's holding you back will still be there, boring in context, when you get back.😊
Peace & Creation,
JT
P.S. Frank Herbert: "Fear is the mind killer...." Don't let it steal real life and living away from you.
Reply to this So being 30, and backpacking around Australia for 6 weeks, here are my thoughts.
1. As people have said, age is just a number. I've been pegged as 24 years old by most people, due to the fact that I'm here, having fun, and not going to bed by 9PM. When I tell them I'm 30, they are really surprised, not just by my looks, but by my attitude. Age is definitely just a number.
2. I have met people on this trip backpacking and hanging out like the rest of us that are upwards of 40. You won't be the oldest one around.
3. I do admit, it's odd to be hanging out with some girls, then find out they are 19 years old. This has happened twice now, and unfortunately that makes me feel old. But in the end, you can still have fun and find that you have things in common with any age group.
4. And lastly, hanging out with all the younger 20 some's, makes you feel young. It lets you relive your youth, or participate in what you missed out on if you had done it when you were 20. You'll see that at 20, 30 or 40, you can all still go out, have a beer, a laugh, and make some good memories and some good friends.
Still loving Australia, leaving for NZ soon.
Nathan
Reply to this LOL! Nathan, I agree with your points, but... you sound like you think 30 or 40 *is* old! The world isn't binary, only our computers. There may be a Young and an Old, but most of us are somewhere in between... and most likely moving along in that area from moment to moment within ourselves as well.
Reply to this Im 30 but most days i feel about 20-25, but hey age is just a number,on previous travels ive met people on the same wave length as me and they have ranged form 18-60, so age really is just a number.................you just have to grab life's opportunities
Reply to this It seems to me that age is not really the question; the question is about leaving a career for a year and returning. Think of travelling as developing yourself into a better person, and in terms of career, that will make you a better employee. When you return, you will have broadened your mind, learned more about people, developed greater capacity for problem-solving and time-management, etc. - be creative and translate what you learn into the language of the work-world, and I think your career will be enhanced instead of damaged by taking a year to travel. You may even make connections that lead you into a career that allows you to travel more!
It is easier when you don't have family responsibilities; however, we know a couple with 3 nearly-grown children that have made their careers teaching at international schools, living a few years in Cairo, Thailand, Johannesburg, etc. and their children have grown up to be citizens of the world. What do you want for your life?
Reply to this I don't think age matters much at all. Travelling is for everyone.
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Reply to this I am almost 29. I started travelling seriously at 25, with a lonely 38 days tour around Morocco. After that nothing has been the same, I regret I did not start earlier! I cannot stop travelling now.
Once or twice a year I take 2 3 4 or 5 weeks off to travel. Soon I will be finishing my Ph.D. I will be 29 then and I plan to take 3 to 4 months off after that
to travel across India, Tibet and Nepal.
If you also have the chance to take a few weeks or months off now and then, that could be an alternative solution to taking a full year off. Age, of course, is not a problem, responsabilities and expectations are. If you fell that taking a year off is going to jeopardize your career, then do not leave for one year. You could still be able to take a shorter time of your life to travel, without affecting other long term plans you might have.
The longest time I have been travelling for is about 3 months. I think 3 to 4 months could be enough time for an extensive travel experience anywhere and it shoud not be to long a time off to represent a threat to your plans at home.
My advice is: it does not necessarily have to be a full year!
Good luck
Reply to this What are you talking about. Never is late to start anything. Those who said you are old have personal conflicts or are simply envy of what you can do and they are not able to. I am 36 right now ready to start my first semester of one of the hardest careers which I do not see hard. It is what I put in my mind what makes possible or an obstacle for me. I travel to a country when I was actually 29 with no language. I was hard to star with no language and no family. I could tell you many inspiring things I have lived. Long story short, go ahead as long as it is for good and for everyone.
Reply to this I don't even know if the original poster is still reading these responses... BUT, like every other poster, I reiterate. DO IT!
I am a 29 year-old Australian, turning 30 at the end of this year, and I left a good job to come over to Canada with a little savings, my partner, a work visa and no firm plans.
I think non-travellers will often react negatively to traveller's plans, and it is best not to ask other people, just listen to yourself. In fact one of the good things about being (almost) 30 is that it is easier not to be swayed by what other people think.
And to be honest, I do struggle sometimes with the social expectation that I should be following career aspirations and getting myself financially set up. But that is not what I am about. And I haven’t found my dream job yet in Canada. (I am a journalist). I have been here for almost two months and I am finally trying to embrace the idea of getting a retail or hospitality job again, for the first time in years. While the idea of giving my time for $11 an hour hurts, that is ok. I am doing what I want to be doing. Experiencing another country and another culture and growing rather than stagnating. The feelings of doubt and homesickness pass, and they are all part of the process. Career will always be there to pick up, and travel makes you a more interesting and adjusted person.
Oh, and my (very bias and slightly homesick) opinion on Australia: it rocks. J
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